Tuesday, February 28, 2017

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov is spared by the Bolsheviks but sentenced to house arrest in the upscale Metropol hotel in Moscow in 1922. Stuck inside this former man of leisure must craft a life for himself, a full life, and with the help of many unlikely friends that is exactly what he accomplishes.

I will freely admit that I mostly read for plot; the faster and twistier the better. Language, the actual skill of the author crafting his words, comes way after setting, character development and all those other literary mechanisms in my mind. But every once in a great while a book is so beautifully written that I can’t help but notice and be swept away. This is that book. The idea of reading about a man under house arrest (hotel arrest) for decades held no interest for me, but the buzz kept growing and growing so I eventually decided to give it a listen. And that was that. I found myself NOT listening to it because I wanted the book to go on and on. I was sad when it ended, not because the ending was sad, but because I was sad it was over. This is a book not to be missed.

The Games by James Patterson and Mark T. Sullivan

The Games by James Patterson and Mark T. Sullivan

The Olympic Games open in less than a week and Private Rio, an elite security firm, has more than its share of challenges. And that’s before the two daughters of a millionaire are kidnapped and the lives of millions are threatened by a deadly plague.

Once or twice a year I try to listen to a Patterson book. Why? Because they are a lot of fun on audio. This one was a really good lost your brakes thrill ride. If you want to listen to an action movie, this is what it would be like.

Friday, February 24, 2017

The Eagle Huntress (Documentary - Turkic and English)

The Eagle Huntress (Documentary - Turkic and English)

Aisholpan wants to become an eagle hunter; a prestigious and honorable profession held by few. There is a huge festival when eagle hunters compete each year and Aisholpan is determined to be there. Fathers have trained sons for generations but this year a father will train his daughter. Aisholpan is to be the first female eagle hunter ever at the age of thirteen.

Through interviews with other eagle hunters you know that many feel a female should not be allowed to compete in the festival. That she could never be a real eagle hunter. It’s refreshing to see such a supportive family, especially her father, and the awe he has over each of her successes all the while showing his pride clearly on his face. And the eagle! We are there from Aisholpan capturing the eaglet through to the eagle’s first true hunt and it is breathtaking. The cinematography causes your breath to catch in your throat and the story is just more proof that any driven individual can do anything they set their minds to.

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Normal by Warren Ellis

Normal by Warren Ellis

Thinking about the future, and what a scary place it can be, can be enough to drive you crazy.  Really certifiably crazy. These people are all housed together at Normal Head, an asylum set up by the employers of the strategic forecasters and foresight strategists in hopes that their brains will start to work for them again. Adam Dearden has just been admitted to Normal. But normal is not what he finds there…

A slim (only 148 pages) book this novella will stay with you long after you close the last page. It’s an odd one, one that makes you think, and makes you ponder some of the futures on its pages. If you suffer from even miniscule amounts of paranoia about what the future may hold, do not read this book. Adam’s paranoia is contagious, and let’s face it, it’s not paranoia if they are really out to get you.

Friday, February 17, 2017

The Second Mrs. Hockaday by Susan Rivers

The Second Mrs. Hockaday by Susan Rivers

Placidia marries Major Hockaday after making his acquaintance only hours before. Both are smitten but after being married for less than forty-eight hours the major is called back to his division and goes to continue his fight in the War Between the States. Placidia, only a teenager, finds herself alone on a southern farm with a few slaves and a newly adopted three year old son. She does her best under the circumstances and continually pines for her major. Small disasters and large strike Placidia and the farm. Rumor has it that she carried a child and murdered it months before the major returns from a Union prison camp; and he hasn’t seen Placidia in two years. He brings her up on charges yet she refuses to speak to defend herself; she will only say the baby lived and she had no hand in the death of the innocent child. Who fathered the child? And is death by hanging a better end than living with the truth revealed?

This story is told entirely in letters, inquest documents and diary entries which worked really well because you didn’t know exactly what happened until about three-quarters of the way through the book when you were able to read certain diary entries. It made sense to keep the reader in suspense in this way, especially since one, or both, correspondents telling the story through their letters didn’t know what had happened all those years before either. It’s hard to imagine without reading the book but trust me that this is a bittersweet love story between two souls broken by the war that eventually find solace with each other.

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Snowblind by Ragnar Jonasson

Snowblind by Ragnar Jonasson

When the snow started falling last Thursday I knew I had to drop whatever I was reading and start this great mystery by a new Icelandic author. We didn’t get nearly as much snow as Siglufjörður, the beautiful fishing village on a northern Icelandic fjord where the book takes places, we didn’t even get what they normally get in one snowfall, but it made the perfect atmosphere to lose myself in the book. 

Ari Thor is getting ready to graduate from the police academy while his girlfriend works towards her medical degree. They just moved in together to a Reykjavik apartment. Ari is a bit concerned about getting a job after graduation, especially with rumors that the country is facing an economic collapse, so when he is offered a job at Siglufjörður he jumps at the opportunity. His girlfriend is upset (to say the least) that he’ll be moving across the country but Ari feels that he has to do this. When Ari arrives he instantly begins having second thoughts. Siglufjörður is isolated and nothing ever seems to happen there -- until a suspicious death is closely followed by the discovery of a badly beaten woman unconscious in the snow.

Those who have been reading this blog for a bit know that I love all things Icelandic and this book was no exception. But this is one that any mystery lover will enjoy. The author translated a number of Agatha Christie’s works into Icelandic and the master’s skill with plotting comes through. I sometimes feel that an author is trying too hard to set up a murder in a small town but I didn’t get that feeling at all. Having an inexperienced police officer, one very unfamiliar with the area and far from perfect, helped me empathize with him and learn through his eyes as well. This is the first book in the Dark Iceland series, and while four have already been written, this is the only one available so far in the United States. I can’t wait to travel back to this isolated fjords with this author.

Friday, February 10, 2017

My Beloved World: A Memoir by Sonia Sotomayor

My Beloved World: A Memoir by Sonia Sotomayor

When young Sonia Sotomayor was growing up in the Bronx she saw who she wanted to be on the television.  While she watched episodes of Perry Mason she didn’t want to be Perry Mason or any of the other lawyers, she set her sights on becoming a judge.  This is the story of how a girl from the projects followed her dream and became a judge, and as we all know went on from there to become a Justice of the Supreme Court.

It was inspiring to see how hard work, drive and dedication can pay off.  Sotomayor overcame many personal hardships like juvenile diabetes, an absentee mother and an alcoholic father to find the need to succeed within herself.  She had a strong and large family as a support system keeping her safe and reinforcing her Puerto Rican roots with frequent trips back to the island.  You can see how her childhood influenced her later in life at Princeton, then Harvard Law School and finally as she started her career in law in New York City.  My only complaint about the book was how inadequate my life seems compared to all she has accomplished!  I wish she would write a book detailing how she managed to fit so much into her day to day life and still have time for friends and family; her time management skills are astounding.  A great memoir about a very interesting, successful and likable person.